I encourage you all to read Philippians 3 as you think about the year ahead and the need we have as Christians to MOVE FORWARD in our spiritual as well as our earthly lives. The Apostle Paul gave us four suggestions as to how we could do so. 1. Refuse to let other people control your path. (vs. 2) Paul wasn’t shy about how he felt about a group of people who were trying to control what was happening in the lives of new, Gentile believers. Paul was sent by God to minister especially to the non-Jewish people, to the Gentiles. Strict Jews weren’t big fans of Paul’s ministry. They felt like there should be some hoops people should jump through in order to become saved, and they assigned themselves the role of gatekeepers. They were teaching that before people could become Christians they first had to become Jews. That wasn’t the message of the Gospel! We must not let people control our destiny. God is the real dream-giver and dream-maker. If He has put something in your heart that would be a blessing to you, your family and those around you, don’t listen to discouragement or “can’t do” people. 2. Refuse to be satisfied with your spiritual and earthly progress. In verses 4-9 we read that Paul was an over achiever. But once he came to Christ he realized there was more he could know and so much more to experience by knowing Christ personally. Verse 10: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” Paul wanted to know Jesus because he wanted to live as Jesus did. The life of Christ, repeated in his own life, that was what his new spiritual goal was! He said in verse 12 that he was pressing on. He said in verse 13 that he was straining toward what was ahead. He said again in 14 that he was pressing on toward the goal. Paul wasn’t going to settle for anything less than a full revelation of who Christ Jesus was and what He could accomplish in Paul’s life. Wouldn’t that kind of attitude make a great New Year’s resolution? 3. Refuse to let your past negatively impact your future. In verse 13 Paul said he was choosing to forget what was behind. He was leaving the past in the past. How you choose to handle pain and personal failure will determine what your future will include. 4. Refuse to be controlled by anything but Christ. Beginning in verse 17 Paul says there is a pattern for the way Christians are to live. There is a certain kind of mold that defines what it means to be Christian. The main characteristic of the Christian mold is that Christians aren’t led by their impulses and desires, but they are led by the Spirit of God. The world also has a mold. Self, not Christ, is at the center of the mold or pattern. If you want to move forward you have a choice to make. You can live for your desires or you can live for your destiny. One provides momentary satisfaction. The other provides eternal, unbroken satisfaction. One last verse from this chapter sounds like the a parent giving final instructions to a child. It is found in Philippians 3:16. Paul says, “Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” Paul tells the Philippians to be who they have become, to live up to the understanding they already possess, to remember what they have been taught and to act accordingly in order so that they won’t go backwards because backwards isn’t an option for the Christian. If this has been a backwards year for you, if you have lived beneath your knowledge and experience with Jesus Christ, you can make a decision to move forward and to take the steps God wants you to make towards being Spirit-led, future focused, and passionate about your spiritual pursuits. Let’s go forward, and let’s start right now! Pastor Melissa
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 18:46:11 +0000
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